As evidenced by its quirky title, Ursula Vernon’s Castle Hangnail may be about monsters, but it’s hardly a scary story. The book, about a 12-year-old witch named Molly, will be adapted into a feature film at Disney, with TV comedy writer Bill Kunstler scripting and Ellen DeGeneres co-producing.
Image: Penguin Random House
Deadline’s report doesn’t note if the adaptation will be animated or live-action, but animation would seem to be the better route, especially considering the magic-filled plot of the book:
When Molly shows up on Castle Hangnail’s doorstep to fill the vacancy for a wicked witch, the castle’s minions are understandably dubious. After all, she is twelve years old, barely five feet tall, and quite polite. (The minions are used to tall, demanding evil sorceresses with razor-sharp cheekbones.) But the castle desperately needs a master or else the Board of Magic will decommission it, leaving all the minions without the home they love. So when Molly assures them she is quite wicked indeed (So wicked! REALLY wicked!) and begins completing the tasks required by the Board of Magic for approval, everyone feels hopeful. Unfortunately, it turns out that Molly has quite a few secrets, including the biggest one of all: that she isn’t who she says she is.
Also not discussed: Whether or not DeGeneres — already a voice-over superstar among moviegoers of a certain age, thanks to Finding Nemo and Finding Dory — plans to join the cast.